Progress Thread 1978 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler. Nothing left to buy....

[FordRacing302]

View: http://youtu.be/FWZd9Ry0vuU


Your project reminds me a lot of this old first gen. He's using an aussie turbo 4.0 I6, but it's still a Ford motor...

Anyways, I'm liking the progress so far.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

damn Mike, just saw thisover on TTF and thought it was you for a second...

http://www.theturboforums.com/threads/371575-Project-quot-Butterscotch-quot-78-Fairmont-4-6-DOHC-turbo-Drag-Week-Build

Oh I'm on TTF, but that ain't me. That car is waay nicer than mine, (I wonder how much he paid for it?) The work he does is beautiful, the cage fitment is so precise, he's gotta be a chassis guy.

View: http://youtu.be/FWZd9Ry0vuU


Your project reminds me a lot of this old first gen. He's using an aussie turbo 4.0 I6, but it's still a Ford motor...

Anyways, I'm liking the progress so far.

I've looked at all of that guys videos too, I love how that thing sounds. I'm hoping like hell that my car sounds exactly like that one. That engine is not like mine, it has a DOHC head. It'd be like comparing a stock windsor head to a Coyote head.

 

[A5literMan]

View: http://youtu.be/FWZd9Ry0vuU


Your project reminds me a lot of this old first gen. He's using an aussie turbo 4.0 I6, but it's still a Ford motor...

Anyways, I'm liking the progress so far.

That car is wicked! If it had more suspension and went straighter down the strip it would run 8s easy. Sounds really cool. Mike if yours turns out sounding anything like that I'd be really pleased if it was mine.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

That car is wicked! If it had more suspension and went straighter down the strip it would run 8s easy. Sounds really cool. Mike if yours turns out sounding anything like that I'd be really pleased if it was mine.

Yeah, it's really weird looking at the "bizarro world" right side driver in a 65 mustang raging down the track. He definitely needs some chassis work to get it off the line, but after that it's on a rail. He drives the crap outta that thing...there are a bunch of videos revolving around that one.

 

[rdharper02]

So did I miss how the rear axle and 10.5 fitment came out?

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

So did I miss how the rear axle and 10.5 fitment came out?

Nope, the rear end is sitting behind the car waiting on prep for paint, which is waiting on the underside of the car, waiting on paint, which is waiting on prep, which is waiting on torque box reinforcement, and welding, the upper rear coil over mount fabrication, mounting, and welding, and putting the sectioned inner wheel tubs back together, and welding in place.

 

[rdharper02]

No worries. I'm curious as to what it will take to get those rims and tires under it without the BFH treatment. Regardless of being in CA and the multiple problem children I am still working on, I'm planning on getting that 81 (if he reposts it). I have alot of twisty curves around here so the goal will be handling and traction vice power (thanks Cali). Dont worry, I'll ensure to give you credit in all caps when I post it...lol.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

No worries. I'm curious as to what it will take to get those rims and tires under it without the BFH treatment. Regardless of being in CA and the multiple problem children I am still working on, I'm planning on getting that 81 (if he reposts it). I have alot of twisty curves around here so the goal will be handling and traction vice power (thanks Cali). Dont worry, I'll ensure to give you credit in all caps when I post it...lol.

It's called a mini tub my furry, little mal-occluded friend. And you don't have to give me credit for it,..it's a universal solution to getting a bigger tire under the car. Hopefully I will get to those all things this month. I better, considering that I've had them (the old tubs) cut out since day 1, had the sheet metal to section them over equally long. I've also had the aluminum coil overs, and the rear end narrowed, the axles shortened, Cobra brakes bought, and the gears installed all this time.....I just wanted to do some of the prettier work (the turbo) first. Now I gotta get the floor clean enough to paint,and paint it. Obviously, it's holding up alot of progress. AND............It should ONLY take about a day when I can get to it.

But that'll have to be when there's nobody here but me. The grinder w/ a wire brush makes a whole bunch of noise, and I get bitc hed at every time I use it.

 

[jrichker]

Now I gotta get the floor clean enough to paint,and paint it. Obviously, it's holding up alot of progress. AND............It should ONLY take about a day when I can get to it.

But that'll have to be when there's nobody here but me. The grinder w/ a wire brush makes a whole bunch of noise, and I get bitc hed at every time I use it.

Save your nickels & dimes and send your wife to the Day Spa. She'll love it and you'll have peace and quiet...

 

[A5literMan]

Save your nickels & dimes and send your wife to the Day Spa. She'll love it and you'll have peace and quiet...

Best. Idea. Ever!

 

[rdharper02]

Mini tubs are the easy part. Finding out how much rim/tire fits under it and if you can keep the factory shock location. Well that takes something much more expensive....namely time. Since there doesnt seem to be a whole lot of research, I'm going to have to base my calculations off of something. Due to lack of available contributors, your it. Can't figure out if thats a good thing or not? Regardless, I will be shipping red bull and monster energy drinks to your garage until your done.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Mini tubs are the easy part. Finding out how much rim/tire fits under it and if you can keep the factory shock location. Well that takes something much more expensive....namely time. Since there doesnt seem to be a whole lot of research, I'm going to have to base my calculations off of something. Due to lack of available contributors, your it. Can't figure out if thats a good thing or not? Regardless, I will be shipping red bull and monster energy drinks to your garage until your done.

If the mini tubs are the "easy part", I suggest that you get in your little clear plastic ball, and roll down here to assist.

I did two things yesterday: I made a "T'd the sump on my stock oil pan. ( a modification I'll just have to tell you about, rather than show you).

AND

I got filthy cleaning the underside of this car. Why I ever looked at @RacEoHolic330 's build thread, and why I should care about a clean and detailed undercarriage is surely gonna be either cause for emphazeema, lung cancer, or my death.
Even with a respirator, stuff still made it past into my nose. I was so dirty, the wife made me go look at myself. I had raccoon eyes, and a black outline around the contact area of the dust mask. My arms were black up to the part where the sleeve of my shirt covered, and my hands were fairly clean because they were covered w/ gloves. Had I not had those gloves on, I'm fairly confident that I would've watched my finger fly across the room when my hand got too close to the wire wheel on more than one occasion. I kept imagining the thing getting away from me, and just tearing my ass up under the car like some kind of mechanized pirahna.

And I'm not even half done.

 

[RacEoHolic330]

I'm not apologizing.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Well another Saturday, another nose and set of eyes full of black metallic dust.




Seems Saturday is my day of freedom to attempt to get enough done to even talk about Saturday night. While it don't look like much, I think I can say that I did make progress.

I finished the Exhaust header. I'm gonna take it to my friend that will blast it for me, and I'm gonna try the new 2000 degree VHT cast iron paint. It has to be heat cured to be fully capable of withstanding the temps a turbo will subject it to. Fortunately, I got another friend w/ a big assed oven that I'll be able to use to do just that.

On one hand I think it looks goofy as hell, on the other, I think it'll look pretty decent when it gets blasted, and gets a coat of paint on it. What do you guys think?

The rest of the day I spent sitting, and standing in the engine compartment.

The big hole is round, it just looks egg shaped in the pic. The air intake will stick through that hole, the cold side exits through the little one.
I still got some final grinding to finish the holes to perfect round.

And it'll come back in through this hole, after the a2w I/C.

I do have a question though...Do you guys weld the plates that sit on top of the frame rail completely, or just stitch it every couple of inches?

I also finished the wound that I made in the side of my trans tunnel to allow the 4R70w shift linkage enough clearance w/o worry of it hitting the floor. Now there is no chance that that'll happen. Problem is I have a whole bunch of sh it piled in the interior, and I didn't want to unload it to take a pic.....so you'll just have to take my word for it.

 

[84Ttop]

All the work so far looks killer! I like how the turbo header turned out, nice work!

 

[A5literMan]

^^^^x100 that header looks killer

 

[RacEoHolic330]

Your progress is bringing back so many wonderful memories of blowing metal particles out of my nose when I was welding up my engine bay.

I welded the boxed-in frame rails completely. Just pulsed the welder across the whole seam. That let me grind it down nice and use a minimal amount of filler to get it smooth.

 

[95BlueStallion]

That header is cool man, loving your progress while its zero degrees up here.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Your progress is bringing back so many wonderful memories of blowing metal particles out of my nose when I was welding up my engine bay.

I welded the boxed-in frame rails completely. Just pulsed the welder across the whole seam. That let me grind it down nice and use a minimal amount of filler to get it smooth.

Glad I could re-kindle the warm and fuzzies for you.
Thanks for the advice, I've never went this far w/ a engine bay, so I just didn't know.

 

[95BlueStallion]

Hey, didnt you get any work done this past Saturday and Sunday?